


Isaac Lahey Lies Himself Into A Relationship

by TheWeepingMonk



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Forgiveness, Getting Together, Light Angst, Love Confessions, Multi, POV Alternating, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:14:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26059312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWeepingMonk/pseuds/TheWeepingMonk
Summary: When Isaac’s ex decides to swoop into town, he asks his neighbor Lydia to pretend to be his girlfriend and everything gets more complicated from there.
Relationships: Isaac Lahey/Lydia Martin, Isaac Lahey/Lydia Martin/Scott McCall, Isaac Lahey/Scott McCall, Lydia Martin/Scott McCall, past Allison Argent/Isaac Lahey - Relationship
Comments: 16
Kudos: 44





	1. The Visit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started writing this in may and finally finished it lmao
> 
> Split into two chapters to make it easier to read not for the Drama I swear. 
> 
> also sometimes i like to title fics with a one sentence summary and then change them but like i think I'll keep this one
> 
> Anyways, enjoy!

Isaac wakes up to the sound of his phone ringing, and he groans, choosing to ignore it, especially when he sees it's only seven AM. Whoever called before ten in the morning should expect _not_ to get an answer. He rolls over, and goes back to sleep.

The next time he wakes it's nine, and he decides to get up for the day, ignoring his phone as he makes a beeline for the restroom. He pees, brushes his teeth, and jumps in the shower, slowly waking under the hot water. 

After he changes, he grabs his phone, remembering the call from earlier. His heart skips when he reads the name _Allison_ under two missed calls. In his haste to unlock his phone and listen to the voicemail she left him he nearly drops it, hands still shaking from the adrenaline rush as he presses his phone to his ear. 

_"Hey Isaac, it's Allison. I was just calling to let you know that I'm going to be in Davis around eleven and I was wondering if I could stop by? I have something important I need to talk to you about...Uh, anyway, call me back when you get a chance. Okay. Bye."_

Isaac threw his phone on the bed as if it had personally offended him. What the _hell_ could Allison have to talk about a _year_ after their break up?

He paces around his room, hands grabbing at his hair. He'd often hoped he'd see Allison again someday, but as he'd settled into his life here, it had happened less and less until it reached this point now where it was the absolute _last_ thing he wanted. 

His life wasn't exactly something to gloat about to the woman who rejected his marriage proposal. He'd _just_ lost his job as a gravedigger due to falling asleep on the excavator, and destroying no less than five headstones, his cat hadn't come home in three days, he had been perpetually single since their breakup, and he only had four friends, one of whom was a two month old baby. 

He groans, preemptively embarrassed by Allison thinking his life fell apart without her.

Isaac grabs his phone, and shoves it into his pocket. He puts on his shoes and rushes next door, knocking frantically

Lydia answers, looking a bit miffed. "If Athena wakes up, _you're_ dealing with her," she whisper-shouts.

Isaac nods, and she takes a step back to allow him inside. He makes a beeline for the kitchen, Lydia trailing behind. He goes to the coffeemaker to get a pot started, needing to distract himself with something. 

"Want to tell me why you were banging on my door?" Lydia questions as she sits at the kitchen table.

"Do you remember me mentioning my ex when I first moved here?" Isaac asks as he pours in the coffee grounds. Lucky for him, Lydia's husband Scott always left it clean, and ready for her to use every morning. 

"You mean the one that turned down your proposal because she wanted to go to France to _find herself_ or whatever?"

"That's the one," he confirms. He shuts the top of the coffeemaker and presses the button to start it before joining her at the table. 

"What about her?"

Isaac plays her the voicemail, fidgeting the entire time. 

"Are you going to call her back?"

Isaac shrugs. "I don't know. I mean, if I do, she's gonna come here and think I'm a mess without her, and if I don't, it's like she won anyway."

Lydia huffs. "While I would say that was childish, I used to like winning that particular game."

Isaac looks at her pleadingly. "So what do you think I should do?"

Lydia thinks a moment. "Well...she _does_ need to talk, so I think you should call her back, and if she asks you about yourself, just lie."

Isaac nods. Right. Lying. He was good at that. He could do that.

"Unless she came to get back together because then she might stick around and find out you were lying."

Isaac frowns. "I don't _want_ to get back together."

"So lying it is." Lydia says with conviction.

His phone rings and he nearly drops it on the table when he sees it's Allison. He puts it on speakerphone. "Hello?"

"Hey, Isaac," Allison greets. "I'm still on the road so I can't talk long, but I hope I didn't freak you out with my message."

"Not at all," he lies, and Lydia snorts. 

"Who's that?" Allison asks. 

"Lydia."

"Oh. Is she your girlfriend?"

Isaac looks to Lydia and she shakes her head, _Don't you dare_ , written all over her face. "Uh huh," he answers anyway, and Lydia glares. He drops his head to hide from it. 

"Uh...well is it okay if I swing by your place so we can talk?" Allison questions.

"Yeah, um, around eleven right? I'll text you the address."

"Sounds good. I'll see you then."

"See you," Isaac says before hanging up. The kitchen is deathly quiet, and he can feel Lydia's rage directed at him. He does the only rational thing. He lifts his head up to look at her dead on and says, "So...pancakes?"

Lydia huffs, crossing her arms. "Oh, it's going to take a lot more than _pancakes_ to buy your way out of this one."

Isaac makes his best puppy eyes, ducking his head so he pouts up at her through his lashes–a move known to work on her husband whenever he needs a favor. 

Lydia narrows his eyes. "I don't care how cute you are, that's not going to work on me! I'm not Scott."

"Lydia, _please_ be my fake girlfriend, and I'll give you anything you want."

Lydia perks up at that. " _Anything?"_ She questions with a tone he doesn't trust. 

"Anything," he confirms, a bit desperately. "Just name it."

Lydia smiles. "You have to babysit Athena tomorrow so Scott and I can finally get some sleep."

"Deal."

Lydia uncrosses her arms, and stands up. "Now that that's settled, I'm going to take a shower before my daughter wakes up. I expect cinnamon pancakes and bacon to be waiting for me."

"Yes ma'am," he says, and she ruffles his hair as she passes him. He smiles. He always loved when she did that.

Isaac gets to work on breakfast, having been over so much in the past year that he knows exactly where everything is. He makes himself a cup of coffee to sip at as he flutters about, humming to himself nervously. 

He didn't have even an _inkling_ to what Allison wanted to talk about which was enough to set him on edge already, but now he had to maintain a lie however long she was around. She had always been good at reading him, and he was worried she'd see right through him. See that a part of him still missed her, and wondered about what could've been. See that even though he doesn't want to get back together, he might do it anyway if she asked because he doesn't think anyone can ever love him like she did. 

Isaac shakes his head before he starts spiraling. He had to make sure his fake relationship with Lydia was believable for his own sake. 

* * *

By the time Lydia gets out of the shower, Isaac's set the table, and cleaned the kitchen. 

She smiles, feeling refreshed, and appreciative when Isaac hands her a mug. They sit across from each other at the table, and dig in, chatting about Athena's awful sleep schedule. 

"When's Scott getting home?" Isaac questions to break a lull in conversation. 

"He's on a twenty-four hour shift so I won't see him until tomorrow."

"Are you sure you don't want my help tonight, instead?" 

Lydia shakes her head. "I'd rather do it tomorrow. Scott sleeps like a log after a twenty-four hour shift, and all I want is to curl up next to him without having to worry about my daughter. "

Isaac gives her a small smile that looks a bit sad. "I'm sure that's all Scott wants too."

Lydia reaches over to grab his hand. He hasn't ever said it, but she knows how lonely he gets sometimes, especially now that he doesn't haven't a job to keep him busy when her and Scott are out. She imagines the woman he almost married coming around does little to help with that. "So. About this whole fake dating thing..."

Isaac tenses up. "Please don't tell me you changed your mind."

Lydia shakes her head, squeezing his hand reassuringly. "No, I just think we should talk about our cover story."

Isaac relaxes slightly. "Yeah. That's smart actually."

She'd thought a lot about it in the shower and everything comes tumbling out a little too fast as she goes over her mental checklist. "Okay, so to cover the basics–we've been dating about three months. Athena can't possibly pass as your kid, so we'll just have to say things didn't work out with the father if she asks, and that we met the day you moved in next door. I helped you move your stuff in and we became instant friends."

Isaac nods. "Right. The best lies are half truths."

"Exactly! She doesn't need to know that you actually met _Scott_ that day or that _we_ didn't meet until a month later when I begged you to drive me to the pharmacy so I could get a pregnancy test." Lydia says. "It's not quite as romantic as you tripping over a brick and landing in my husband's arms when he went to introduce himself."

Isaac, adorably, blushes, then, because he's not particularly shy, says, "I don't know. A sexy redhead showing up at my door in nothing but her nightwear? Sounds pretty romantic to me." 

Lydia laughs. "It sounds like the start of a bad porno." 

Isaac laughs too. "It does!"

They spend the next thirty minutes covering their bases, including hiding pictures of Scott and herself. Once that's done, Lydia puts Isaac on baby duty so she can put on her makeup, wanting to look as subtly stunning as she can.

She's just got her makeup set when Isaac rushes into her room. 

"She's here!" He exclaims, panicked.

Lydia gets to her feet and puts her hands on his shoulders. "Take a deep breath with me." She inhales deeply and he mimics her.

She waits until the tension in his body fades then tells him to go open the door. She trails behind, checking on Athena who was now napping in her crib before settling in the living room. 

Isaac comes in after a moment, mouthing a _thank you_ as he walks towards her. Lydia shoots him a smile, her gaze shifting to the movement behind him and her smile freezes in place. 

A pale woman with a sharp jawline, long black hair, and long eyelashes steps into the room wearing a short white dress, a black leather jacket and black thigh high boots. 

_Beautiful_ , Lydia thinks, stunned by her. She stands up and shakes Allison's hand while Isaac officially introduces them. 

"Lydia, this is Allison, Allison, this is my girlfriend Lydia."

"Nice to meet you," Lydia says politely.

"You too," Allison tells her with a friendly smile. 

"Why don't we all have a seat?" Isaac suggests. 

Allison sits in the armchair while Isaac sits on the couch. 

"Can I get you something to drink?" Lydia questions, only joining Isaac on the couch when Allison politely declines the offer. 

"So, uh, how have you been?" Allison asks Isaac.

"Great actually." Isaac says, slinging his arm around Lydia's shoulders. "I have a good job, I'm in a great relationship, and I have an adorable stepdaughter."

Allison's brows raise. "A stepdaughter?"

"Her name's Athena," Lydia tells her. "She's still just a baby so she's in her room napping."

"Oh," Allison looks around, seeming to notice the rattles and the baby swing for the first time. "Well I won't keep you too long then."

Lydia gives her a polite smile and starts asking her about herself. Allison tells them she's a photographer for a nature magazine in Paris and gets to travel a lot. She tells them about her favorite countries, and her favorite foods, and just as it feels she's talking a little too much she starts asking about Lydia.

Lydia tells her the basics, that she's a 911 dispatcher, answers her questions about her workspace, and tells her about the happier stories. Allison, for her part, seems genuinely interested. 

"And Isaac, what do you do now?" Allison asks curiously. 

Lydia feels Isaac tense against her side. 

"Uh, well actually..."

"He's getting ready to enroll in the fire academy," Lydia interrupts, her hand going to his thigh and squeezing. 

"Wow." She sounds impressed, and Lydia knows she said the right thing by the way Isaac's hand finds hers, lightly stroking her with his thumb. 

"Yeah, uh, I've been considering it for a while now and it just...it feels right, you know?" Isaac says. "I can't be a gravedigger forever."

Allison gives him a soft smile, a look in her eyes that Lydia doesn't quite understand. "I'm glad you're finally moving on from it. I always knew you were meant for bigger things."

Lydia watches Isaac's body language, noticing the slight pull of his lips into a smile and the slight puff of his chest. It seems Allison's opinion _very much_ still mattered to him. 

"Thanks. I always knew you were too."

Allison's smile grows, and Isaac mirrors it - a sort of nostalgic tension between them. 

Lydia knows she shouldn't be jealous, but it pierces through her like a stinging nettle, and she clears her throat to break up the moment. 

Isaac squeezes her hand and sits up straighter. "Uh, are you sure you don't want anything to drink?"

"Actually, some coffee would be nice."

Isaac turns to Lydia. "You?"

"Yes please," she answers sweetly. 

Isaac nods and kisses her cheek before he gets up.

Her heart skips, but she tries not to let it show on her face. She strikes up idle conversation with Allison until the other woman's expression grows oddly serious. 

"Lydia, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Is Isaac... _happy?"_ She sounds a bit desperate, like she needs the answer to be _yes_ more than anything. 

Lydia considers the question, considers why and how it was asked as well as Isaac himself. Finally, she answers as honestly as she can, "Well, I'm not Isaac so I can't say for sure but...I think he is."

Allison studies her expression closely for a long moment, eventually she nods, body sagging with relief. "Good," she murmurs.

Lydia eyes her curiously, wondering more than ever what Allison wanted from Isaac and this little reunion of theirs. 

Isaac comes back before she can do any digging. He hands Allison her coffee first. "No cream, one sugar with a splash of milk."

Allison smiles warmly. "You remembered."

"Oh you mean the second worst coffee order I've ever heard? Of course." He teases. 

Allison rolls her eyes at his grin.

He hands Lydia her mug and joins her on the couch, and maybe she's just a little too pleased Isaac knows how she likes her coffee considering this was her second mug made by him this morning, but well it wasn't like anyone else had to know that. 

They start chatting again as they drink their coffee. 

Everything goes smoothly, and just as it seems Allison's finally going to say _why_ she came, there's a noise at the front door. 

* * *

Scott stumbles into his house after waving off Stiles. He's exhausted, and his head is killing him, but other than that he's fine. 

He hears voices coming from the living room and makes his way towards them, pleased to see _both_ Lydia and Isaac on the couch, but a little perplexed by the stranger sitting in his armchair. He makes a beeline for Lydia whose eyes light with worry when he runs into the table holding a lamp. 

Both her and Isaac get to their feet in an instant, their hands reaching out to support him as they lead him to the couch. 

"What happened?" Lydia questions urgently. 

"A person I was helping accidentally made me hit my head on a railing. I'm okay, I just have a concussion."

 _"Just_ a concussion?" Isaac scoffs. 

"My head is killing me, and I can't sleep, but it could've been worse," Scott points out, reaching over to squeeze Isaac's shoulder reassuringly. The furrow of Isaac's brow doesn't dissipate as he'd hoped it would. 

"I think we have some Tylenol in the medicine cabinet," Lydia says. 

"I'll get some water," Isaac adds, and they split off, leaving him to sink back into the couch. 

He forgets about the stranger until his eyes land on her and she says, "Hello."

 _She's very pretty,_ he notes absently.

"Um, Hi. I'm Scott."

"Allison."

Scott tries to wrack his brain for why her name sounds familiar, but it hurts too much. "Nice to meet you. I would get up to shake your hand but..."

"It's okay, I understand." She tells him politely. 

He offers a weak smile. 

"How exactly did you get hurt, if you don't mind me asking?" Allison asks. 

"I'm a firefighter," he answers. "There was a gas leak in these apartments downtown, and uh...I was leading this man out when the floor above us shook. He freaked out and pushed me out of the way and I bashed my head on the railing. I was wearing my helmet, but the impact was hard enough that it didn't matter."

"Wow. Does stuff like that happen a lot?"

Scott shrugs. "Yeah, but I can't blame people for panicking when my presence is literally a sign that something is _very_ wrong and likely going to get worse before it gets better..." he smiles as his thoughts branch out from there, "I know Lydia and Isaac can't stand it when I get hurt, but the way they both fuss over me almost makes the pain worth it. Mostly though, just the _thought_ of not getting to come home to them is enough to keep me from being too reckless...I don't want them to ever get that call telling them I did something I couldn't come back from."

Allison looks puzzled by his words and he realizes that maybe it wasn't appropriate to talk about dying with a complete stranger. 

"Sorry, I think this concussion is affecting me more than I thought."

She smiles reassuringly. "Oh, no, it's fine, I was just wondering... _how_ do you know Isaac and Lydia?" 

But Isaac and Lydia choose that exact moment to return, Lydia handing him two pills to take, and Isaac holding out a glass of water. He takes the pills, and downs half the water before handing the glass back to Isaac who sets it on the table. 

Scott smiles at them, appreciating them taking care of him. He grabs both of their hands, and squeezes before pulling Lydia half on top of him so he can kiss her, feeling her melt under him. 

Isaac clears his throat meaningfully and Lydia pulls away abruptly. 

Scott huffs, looking to Isaac as he jokingly asks, "What? You want one too?"

Isaac blushes, and Scott can't help his smirk. Isaac looked downright _adorable_ when he was flustered and he wishes Isaac would say _yes._

"Uh, Isaac can we talk in private?" Allison asks. 

Isaac turns away quickly. "Yeah. Let's go outside."

Scott tugs on Lydia's hand as they leave, and she sits on his lap. She runs her fingers through his hair, and he sighs softly, but the moment the front door shuts she starts bombarding him with information his concussed brain can barely keep up with. 

* * *

Isaac does his best to ignore his still burning cheeks as the front door closes behind him. His heart beats a little too fast, anxious that Allison has figured out he's lying and is about to call him out on it. 

"Scott and Lydia seem nice," she says in a pointed way. 

"Uh, yeah, they're the best actually."

Allison steps forward with purpose. "Listen, Isaac, I know showing up here out of the blue was weird given how we left things, and that I have no right to ask you this but..." She takes a breath. 

This was it - the moment where she would ask him to take her back, or offer some olive branch to get back into his life. 

"Do you still have my dad's lighter?" 

All the air in Isaac's body leaves him in a rush as he realizes her visit didn't have _anything_ to do with him. Not really. She didn't care how he was doing, or what his life had become without her. She only came to get back the last tie he had to her and her family. 

And it shouldn't hurt so much, but it does - his stomach twisting almost painfully. 

"You...You came all the way here for a lighter?"

Allison nods, a sheepish smile on her face. "Yeah I...I wanted to give it to my wife."

Isaac blinks at her, feeling like he'd just been sucker punched with information. _"Wife?"_

"Malia," she tells him. "I met her when I first got to Paris. We were friends for about two months before I realized I was embarrassingly in love with her and well..." She pulls a necklace from her shirt, a silver band resting on a black cord. "I'm bisexual, as it turns out."

"Oh my god," Isaac says. A part of him wants to say, _we were together six years, and you didn't want to marry me, but you married some girl in less than a year?_ But he knows it would be a shitty thing to say–that the anger behind it wouldn't come from still loving her, rather from that little voice in his head that tells him he's going to die alone and unloved.

"I guess you really _did_ find yourself, huh?" he forces himself to joke. 

Allison chuckles, shifting nervously with a faint blush on her cheeks. "I did."

Isaac bounces on the balls of his feet, unsure where to go from here. He's about to tell her about the lighter when she adds, "And it looks like you found yourself too. A beautiful girlfriend, a stepdaughter, a hot boyfriend..."

Oh. _Oh_. _That's_ why she hadn't called him out. 

Isaac swallows thickly. "Yeah. I did." And suddenly he feels like the world's biggest idiot. Lying had seemed so simple, but now it just made him feel all alone in the world–haunted by a life he'll never have. 

The front door opens behind him, and he turns to find Lydia in the doorway. 

"Sorry, I don't mean to interrupt," Lydia says ruefully, "but Athena's crying. Can you make sure Scott doesn't fall asleep while I take care of her? 

"Uh, sure," Isaac answers, he turns to Allison. "I'll have to search for the lighter, but you can come back tomorrow to get it."

Allison nods. "Thank you so much."

"Yeah, no problem," he says. 

Allison hugs him, then tells them both goodbye. 

Isaac makes it into the living room before he realizes he can't hear Athena crying, and he immediately whips around to pull Lydia into a hug. 

She hugs him tightly. "Thought you probably didn't want to be alone with her too long." 

"She's _married_ ," he blurts.

Lydia squeezes him, and he closes his eyes to hold back his tears.

It didn't feel fair that _he_ had been the one to put his heart on the line, to deal with the lease on their apartment, to watch her pack up and leave, to sell her ring so he could move away from the memories that haunted him, yet _Allison_ was the one who got to be happy. When the hell was it going to be _his_ turn?

"Isaac," Scott says gently. 

He lifts his head to see Scott pat the empty space next to him on the couch. He slowly pulls away from Lydia and goes to sit next him on the couch. 

Scott pulls him to his chest, his arms wrapping around Isaac tightly. His face flushes because Scott's never held him like this before, and he doesn't know what to think. He settles hesitantly against Scott. 

Scott strokes his head gently. "I don't know if it'll ever be enough to make up for what you've lost, but you'll always have us," he murmurs. 

Isaac melts internally. How did Scott always seem to know what to say to put him at ease, when he didn't even know the full story? 

Lydia sits next to them. She reaches over to cup his face.

"You'll always have us," she repeats, and he offers a small smile - the hurt easing because if nothing else, his two favorite people wanted him in their lives always. 

Scott doesn't act like he wants Isaac to get off of him, so he clings, nuzzling closer and taking all the free affection he can, even if it'll kill him later to know this is all he'll ever get from the man he loves. 

Lydia kisses his forehead a few minutes later when Athena really does start crying, and he's hit with another bittersweet thought that these soft little affections and gentle affirmations in moments of distress are all he'll ever get from the woman splitting his heart in two. 

* * *

Lydia sets Athena down for bed, and joins Scott in their room. He's still nervous to sleep despite feeling better, so he's sat against the headboard watching Cupcake Wars a little too intensely. She curls up next to him, resting her head in his lap. 

"Isaac's sleeping on the rug again," she tells him.

Scott shakes his head. "I don't know why he likes sleeping on it so much."

"It's soft," Lydia points out. "Besides, I think he likes sleeping near Athena. I think she makes him feel calm."

Scott doesn't say anything, but she knows he's smiling that special smile he has for Isaac. 

Lydia smiles too because it's nice to have someone who cares so much about their daughter around. Her smile fades quickly however when she remembers how broken up Isaac had been about Allison's visit. 

He'd explained at dinner that he hadn't wanted Allison back, but that it still hurt knowing that it wasn't marriage she hadn't wanted, just marriage with _him_. He still refused to tell them more about their relationship, but he mentioned in passing that she'd only come to get a lighter from him. 

For some reason, Isaac refused to say why it was important to her. In all the time they'd known Isaac he'd been very open about his past in all aspects - though he often adopted a detached tone as if describing someone else's life - except for anything that had to do with Allison aside from how she'd broken his heart. 

"I'm worried about him," Lydia admits quietly. 

Scott rubs her arm. "I am too." 

"I wish I knew how to help him." 

Scott hums then says, "I think...I think all we can do is let him know he's wanted and that...that we love him."

Lydia feels her breath catch at that last part, and she looks up at Scott. "Do...do you mean…?"

Scott nods, looking terrified. "I know we said we didn't want to freak him out but...sometimes I get the feeling that all he ever wants to be is with us...am I crazy for thinking that?"

Lydia sits up, cupping his face with a soft smile on hers. "No. I don't think you're crazy. I get that feeling too. Like when he comes over to make dinner and does all the washing-up when we have bad days, or when he insists we all go out to celebrate our good ones or even when he insists on our weekly movie night."

"Or when he helps us run errands or how he's been making late night diaper runs for Athena when I'm on shift."

Lydia rests her forehead against his. They could probably go on and on, but it would only lead them to the same conclusion they'd made months ago. "I think after a day like today he needs to know...I just don't want to lose him if we're wrong." 

Scott nuzzles into her. "Me neither."

They stay like that for a while, eventually settling in for the night, still unsure how to make their unrequited feelings known. 

* * *

Scott goes to the kitchen to grab himself a bottle of water around 3 AM. He downs half of it before heading to check on Athena. 

Isaac's sitting in the rocking chair in the corner of the nursery, snapping and unsnapping the lid of a fancy looking lighter. 

"Hey," Scott calls gently, and Isaac stills, gaze lifting to meet his. He sets his water on the changing table. 

"Hey." Isaac answers quietly. 

Scott walks over to him, gesturing to the lighter. "That's what she came back for, huh?"

Isaac nods, holding it out to him. 

Scott inspects it in the soft glow of the nightlight, running his fingers over the insignia - some French symbol he'd seen on television but never remembered the name of. The initials _C.A._ were carved on the bottom and when he flips the lighter around he finds words written in a different language.

"It's French," Isaac tells him. 

"What's it say?"

"Nothing in love is small." Isaac takes back the lighter, tracing the words with his fingers too. "The full quote is, ' _Nothing in love is small.Those who wait for grand occasions to prove their love don’t know how to love.'"_

Scott blinks, the words feeling pointed - as if daring him to act on his unrequited feelings. 

"It was a gift to Allison's dad from his wife. She passed away back when we were in High School...it was the last thing she ever gave him."

"So how did _you_ end up with it?"

Isaac smiles, settling into fond memories. "Chris and I were really close, I mean we weren't always, but we got there, you know? Um...he thought, like I did, that Allison and I were going to get married someday so when he got sick he told me that uh..."Isaac clears his throat, "he told me that he wanted to pass it down to the best son he could ever ask for."

Scott puts his hand on Isaac’s shoulder, squeezing lightly. There was still so much Isaac hadn't told them. For the past year the subject of Allison had been vague, and his life with her even more so - as if it was the one thing he just _couldn't_ talk about. 

Isaac presses his cheek to Scott's hand, "I know giving it up might be the best thing to do, I mean he was Allison's _Dad_ but...Chris meant a lot to me and sometimes I think..."

"Think what?" Scott asks curiously. 

Isaac lifts his head, shaking it. "Nothing."

Scott furrows his brow. He positions himself in a crouch in front of Isaac. The other man looks down at him, eyes wet and expression half pained, half curious. "It's _something_ or you wouldn't be trying to say it out loud."

Isaac sighs, eyes darting away to something behind him. He was always like this when it came to expressing himself - a habit instilled by his abusive father - but Scott was always trying his best to break it. 

After a long silence Isaac finally speaks. "Sometimes I think Chris was the only person in my entire life who ever cared about me the same way I cared about him."

Scott's insides twist unpleasantly. "Wh...why do you think that?"

"Because I have a bad habit of loving people who show me even the smallest bit of kindness or affection and its _pathetic_ because they never love me back - not the way I want, and so now there's just some part of me that can't help but think that I'm never going to find anyone to love me at all."

Scott's heart aches, and knows then that _now_ is the time to tell him, to assuage his fear of being unloved. He takes Isaac's hand in his, lifting his chin so he's forced to meet his gaze. "But you already have."

"It's not the same," Isaac protests. 

"It is."

"No, because I know you and Lydia love me but it's not like how I - " Isaac's mouth clicks shut and he looks away quickly. 

Hope flares in Scott's chest. "It's not how you what?" He encourages. 

Isaac stands up. "It...it doesn't matter."

Scott jumps to his feet. "I think it does."

Isaac shakes his head insistently. "It really doesn't." He tries to walk past Scott, but Scott grabs him by the shoulders. 

"Isaac, _please_ finish that sentence."

Isaac hesitates, but seems to steel himself with a sad sort of resignation. "I'm hopelessly in love with you guys, okay? Is that what you want to hear? That my stupid little heart went and chose a married couple to fall in love with?"

Scott's stomach does a flip, and he can't help the smile on his face. Without thinking he kisses Isaac, feeling the other man tense momentarily before kissing him back. He feels Isaac's hand settle on his cheek, pulling him closer to deepen the kiss. 

Kissing Isaac feels like a dam bursting open and he doesn't know if he'll ever be able to stop now. "I love you, I love you," he mumbles between kisses. Unfortunately, it doesn't last much longer as Isaac suddenly pushes him away. 

He looks panicked now, and it pulls Scott back to his senses, back to reality where he's a married man kissing his best friend in his infant daughter's room. 

_Shit_. 

"Isaac - "

Isaac flees from the room. 

Scott curses softly and sprints after him. He manages to catch Isaac’s arm at the door, but Isaac escapes him easily.

"Don't touch me!" Isaac snaps, tears in his eyes. 

Scott lifts his hands up in surrender. "Okay. Okay, but could you please just wait a - "

"No! I might be in love with you but I'm not doing this to Lydia. I won't!"

"But Isaac - "

Isaac runs off, and this time Scott doesn't chase after him, thinking it was probably the last thing he wanted right now. He feels his gut wrench with the knowledge that he's hurt Isaac by going about this all wrong. 

"Scott?" 

He turns and Lydia blinks at him sleepily. 

"I messed up," he tells her. 

Lydia opens her arms, and he quickly crosses over to place himself in between them. 


	2. The Morning After

Isaac doesn't sleep, so wired from kissing Scott that he ends up cleaning his bathroom, then his kitchen and then he takes a shower. The sun's up by the time he's dressed so he makes himself some coffee, texts Allison a time to get the lighter, and tries not to think about how soft Scott’s lips were.

After his third cup of coffee he goes to sit on his front porch, in desperate need of some fresh air. The world is quiet and softly lit, a nice cool breeze sweeping over his skin.

He doesn't know how he's going to face Scott or Lydia after last night, but he can't really avoid them since they were neighbors and he can't afford to move. He just hopes Lydia doesn't hate his guts. 

Isaac doesn't get much time to dwell on what a terrible person he is for enjoying the kiss because Lydia suddenly steps out onto her front porch. His first instinct is to run, but when she spots him she smiles sweetly and waves. He waves back dumbly and watches her warily as she walks over. 

"Good morning," Lydia greets.

Isaac looks away - focusing on the sprinklers across the street. "Morning."

Lydia sits next to him, and he can't help the way he tenses. She notices, letting out a soft sigh. "Scott told me what happened."

Isaac tries to curl into himself, pulling his knees to his chest. "I understand if you don't want me around anymore," he tells her miserably, grief already settling cold in his belly, and tears starting to warm the edges of his eyes. "I mean I kissed your husband. There's no way you can trust me again."

"Why do you do that?" She sounds annoyed for some reason. 

Isaac furrows his brow, but still doesn't look at her. "Do what?"

"Blame yourself."

"I messed up."

"Isaac, _Scott_ kissed _you_ , and you're painting yourself as this bad guy who seduced my husband, and I don't understand why."

Isaac hesitates to answer, taking a breath before he says, "It's because I wanted to keep kissing him even knowing that it would hurt you and it took everything I had to stop." 

Lydia touches his face and he flinches. "Sorry, but will you please look at me?"

Isaac forces himself to meet her gaze, confused to not see malice, or anger or clear disgust directed towards him only concern, and something else. 

"You didn't hurt me," she tells him gently. "Scott didn't either."

Isaac frowns. "What?"

Lydia offers him a patient smile then says, "If you hadn't run away, my over excited husband would've explained that we _both_ love you the same way you love us." 

Isaac blinks at her, unsure if he heard her right. "You both…"

"Are in love with you." Lydia finishes. "Very much so."

Isaac gets stuck on her words - his stubborn brain refusing to accept them because life never worked that way for him. He didn't just get to be happy and he certainly didn't get back the love he gave. 

"Isaac?"

Isaac splutters, at a complete loss for words. What was he going to say? _Sorry, I'm so broken I can't process that you love me._

Lydia's patient smile reappears, and he's grateful for it. 

"I just...wasn't expecting this conversation to go like this," He manages after a moment. 

"Me neither," Lydia admits. "Scott and I planned to tell you together how we felt, but in a way, I'm kind of glad that it happened this way because I don't know when we would've worked up the nerve to actually tell you."

"What was stopping you?"

"The thought of losing you." She says it so softly - as if afraid to speak the actuality into existence - and he's awed by it.

No one had ever cared about losing him - not his deadbeat father or his brother who abandoned him to die in a war zone, or the few friends he'd made throughout his life. And now, when it seemed Allison didn't care either, he had Lydia telling him she did - that Scott did too. 

Lydia reaches for him cautiously and he allows her to touch him this time, surprised when she swipes her thumb across his cheek to see it come away wet. He wipes at his eyes, sniffling and doing his best to stop crying. 

"Isaac, I won't lie to you and say that Scott and I know exactly how this will all work in the long run, or that it won't be an adjustment for all of us, but we love you, and if you want to give this a chance or even just forget it completely we will. We just want you around."

Isaac drops his hands from his eyes, but instead of looking at Lydia he looks across the street again. He takes a moment to collect his thoughts, aware of Lydia staring at him. "I want to stay with you guys," he admits. "And I really want the three of us to be together…"

"But?"

"I'm scared."

"Of?"

"Of you getting tired of me...Of _finally_ getting everything I want and finding out none of it's meant for me. Of screwing it up somehow. Just…" He trails off not sure how to finish his thoughts. 

"It's okay to be scared, Isaac. We are too. None of us are perfect and we can't promise a perfect life or a perfect relationship, but I can promise that we won't give up on you, or get sick of you."

"You say that now…"

Lydia nudges him with her shoulder, and he looks at her, blown away by how gorgeous she looked in the soft glow of the morning sun shining brilliantly through her long red hair. "You don't have to believe me right now, but will you give me - give _us_ a chance to show you?"

Isaac's heart starts to pound in his ears. Whatever he said next was incredibly important - maybe the most important thing he's ever said. The best he comes up with is, "If I say yes, will you kiss me?"

It gets him a laugh that eases some of the tension. "Maybe you should answer my question to find out the answer to yours."

Isaac smiles. "My answer is yes."

Lydia leans in, and his breath catches. She teases him, brushing her lips against his. "I love you," she whispers.

Isaac kisses her firmly, his hands cupping her face. "I love you too," he tells her quietly, heart full as he deepens the kiss. 

Lydia smiles and kisses him once more, barely pulling away to say. "I've been wanting to do that for awhile now."

Isaac smiles too, tears welling in his eyes - happy this time. "You know with the pajamas, kissing your neighbor with your husband right next door, we're just a _little_ closer to a bad porno this time." 

Lydia rolls her eyes and shoves him playfully. 

He laughs - a little too loud because of the emotional rollercoaster he's ridden over the past few hours. He went from thinking he destroyed a marriage because he couldn't control his feelings to finding out his feelings were returned on all sides. It was a lot to process considering he thought it had all been utterly pointless to love them the way he did. 

"Come over?" She asks hopefully. 

Isaac nods and allows Lydia to lead him to her place - her hand in his. On the way he hears the bushes rattle and when he looks he sees his white tabby emerging from them.

"Harley!" He exclaims. The cat gives an extended meow as it rushes up to him. He swoops down to pick her up with his free hand and they continue on - Isaac berating his cat as he peppers it with affection. 

There's music coming from the kitchen that almost erases the sound of bacon sizzling in a pan. His palms start to sweat the closer they get, unsure how to face Scott after running away from him. He sets Harley down, the cat rushing off to her favorite spot - Athena's baby carrier. 

Lydia strokes the back of his hand with her thumb as they finally enter the kitchen. 

Scott's at the stove, half turned to look at Athena who's on the floor in her baby swing. 

"Hey," Lydia greets, startling him. His wide eyes snap to hers, spatula raised in midair. "Look who came for breakfast."

He glances at Isaac, lowering his spatula and shifting on his feet nervously. "Uh, hey."

"Hey." Isaac greets. 

Lydia lets go of Isaac's hand and walks over to Scott, taking the spatula from him. "You two sit at the table and talk about last night and I'll finish breakfast."

Scott nods, looking at Isaac shyly as they both head towards the kitchen table. They've barely sat down when Scott blurts, "I'm sorry."

Isaac blinks at him in surprise, and Scott continues, "I shouldn't've kissed you. I should've explained first, and let us all have a talk, but I was so _happy_ when you said you loved us the same way and I got caught up in the moment."

Isaac reaches forward to put his hand on Scott's arm. "It's okay," he assures, "If the roles were reversed I probably would've done the same. I'm just sorry that I ran away instead of listening to what you were trying to tell me...It would've saved me a lot of heartache and stress cleaning."

Scott gives him a shy half-smile and offers his hand to Isaac who takes it. "You don't have to be sorry, Isaac. You're a good person and you reacted the way a good person should when they think their best friend is trying to cheat on their wife with them."

Isaac squeezes his hand, wanting to puff up at being called good. "The last thing I would ever want to do is come between you and Lydia."

"I wouldn't say it's the _last_ thing you'd want to do," Lydia quips flirtatiously from the stove.

Isaac's struck with the mental image of him naked between the two of them, his face heating and his body twitching in interest. That _really_ wasn't fair. 

Scott chuckles, cupping Isaac's cheek with his free hand. "You don't have to worry about causing some sort of rift between us. Lydia and I have loved each other for over a decade, and that'll never change...I mean we both fell in love with you and our love's never been stronger...It's almost like you were always meant to be here with us. Like fate."

Isaac swoons internally, but still a part of him wants to scoff at the idea because how could someone as broken as him be meant for anybody? "If you believe in that sort of thing."

"I do, and I think some part of you wants to too, but you're scared and that's okay, I don't need you to. I'll believe it for the both of us." Scott says, looking at Isaac with nothing but sincerity in his soft brown eyes. 

Isaac leans forward slowly, hesitating in Scott's space. "I love you," he whispers before kissing him. Now that he can say it, he doesn't want to stop.

Scott kisses him back sweetly, gently guiding his head with his hand. 

After a minute, Isaac pulls away slowly, a grin spreading across his face when Scott tells him he loves him too. He steals a glance at Lydia who's plating their food with a smile.

This was real.

He gets to love both of them freely and openly.

It was _his_ turn to be happy. 

"Breakfast," Lydia announces a moment later, walking over with their plates. 

As they eat they work through the logistics of it all - who can know for now; Stiles, Parrish and the rest of the fire fam; how it would only be the three of them in a relationship; how they would take things slow for now: how nothing had to change drastically; how they had to communicate boundaries clearly. It was a little more complex than any relationship he's been in before, but it oddly didn't feel as daunting as any of them. 

Athena starts crying towards the end of breakfast and Isaac stops Lydia from getting up. 

"I still owe you for yesterday, remember?"

Lydia smiles. "Right."

Scott looks at them curiously. "What does he owe you exactly?"

Isaac goes to Athena to pick her up while Lydia explains. He sniffs at her - displeased to find he had to change her diaper so soon after eating - then carries her to her room. 

Once he's done, Isaac returns to the kitchen and shoos Scott and Lydia to their room, insisting they rest so he can properly pay back his debt. He washes the dishes, occasionally making silly faces at Athena to keep her entertained, then settles them both in the living room to watch Disney movies.

Athena eventually falls asleep and he takes the opportunity to make lunch. Once he's finished making all the plates he checks on Athena who's fussing quietly and he knows instantly she's on the verge of crying. 

He picks her up, rocking her gently as he makes his way back to the kitchen. He grabs her bottle from the fridge and sets it in the bottle warmer. He hums to her, dancing around the kitchen as he does. 

Athena settles but it isn't until she's sucking on her bottle that she's truly happy. He burps her before he sets her back in her swing.

Isaac's phone rings just as he goes to deliver the grilled cheeses. He pulls it from his pocket - heart skipping when he sees Allison's name, having completely forgotten about her. 

"Hello?" 

"Hey, I rang the doorbell but you didn't answer."

"I'm next door actually, but give me a sec and I'll meet you on the porch."

"Okay, sure, see you in a minute."

"Okay." Isaac hangs up, stealing a glance at Athena who is staring at the mobile above her. He decides that she can't possibly get into that much trouble if he leaves her alone for two minutes then rushes out. 

Allison greets him on the porch. 

He digs in his pocket and pulls out the lighter, hoping to get through this quickly. Maybe it wouldn't hurt so much then. "Here you go."

"Thanks," she says, but there was something off about her tone and she didn't offer a goodbye. She just stands there, staring at him. 

"Uh, I don't mean to be rude, but I'm on Athena duty right now so..." He trails off, gesturing behind him. 

"Right. Um. Thanks again." Allison turns to leave, making it two steps before she doubles back quickly, her boots heavy on the concrete. 

Isaac watches her curiously, letting her grab his hand and place the lighter in it.

"I can't take this," she tells him, clearly upset. "My dad wanted you to have it and I never wanted it in the first place."

Isaac frowns, confused. "Then why did you come here?"

Allison folds his fingers over the lighter, eyes glistening with tears. "Honestly?'

He nods, brows furrowing. He's never seen her act like this. 

"I came here to prove to myself that I didn’t ruin your life, a - and I know that's selfish, but...Isaac, you were my _best friend_ in the entire world and I could never really be happy unless you are too. And I know leaving you the way I did might've told you otherwise, but I will always love you, _always_ care about you."

Isaac's throat constricts painfully, unresolved feelings bubbling up in his chest. He wasn't sure what to say to that, even more confused now, but it didn't seem to matter anyway as Allison bulldozes on. 

"I just need you to know that it wasn't _you_ I wanted to leave, it was the place that took my parents from me and all the memories there." Her voice cracks and becomes strained as she speaks. "I didn't want to live somewhere I'd always be haunted and I couldn't marry you because my dad loved you so much that you felt like the last piece of him I had and it hurt too much to be around you."

Isaac swallows thickly. Of all the theories he'd come up with as to why she'd really left him, this one had never occurred to him. Anger flares under his skin. "So you just left me behind?" It comes out weaker than he meant it to, but he can't help it.

"I didn't know what else to do!"

He steps forward, chest tight and voice rough, "You didn't...I loved him too! Did you think I wouldn't understand that you needed space?"

Allison shakes her head quickly, a pleading look in her eyes. "No, I _knew_ you would understand, but I also knew you'd stay in Beacon Hills to wait for me and the moment I decided to go to Paris I knew I wasn't going back...I didn't want to string you along so when you proposed I thought it was the right time to let you go."

Isaac stares at her, wide eyed. His anger fading because to him their relationship had been perfectly fine up until the proposal, but maybe he'd missed the warning signs. He'd proposed to her five months after Chris passed, thinking it was finally right, while she'd been hurting all that time by just being around him.

"I would've gone to Paris when you were ready," he blurts, wounded. 

"I know," she admits. "But I wanted a fresh start and I'd never get that as long as I knew you were waiting for me. I was _relieved_ when I heard you moved away because it meant you weren't expecting me back."

"Maybe I hoped you'd go chasing after me." And a part of him had for a long time, but then he grew more attached to Scott and Lydia and he'd stopped. 

She gives him this wistful look. "If I had thought I deserved a second chance with you, and if I hadn't met Malia, I would've because you're someone worth chasing after." 

His chest loosens at the words and in that moment he realizes he'd had it all wrong. Allison had _only_ come here because she cared about him. He pulls her into a hug because he has no words, their bodies sinking into each other as she wraps her arms around him too. 

He doesn't cry, but Allison does, and he rubs her back gently. He's grieved the loss of them so many times and he doesn't have it in him anymore. Instead, he feels soothed by her tears - taking it as the proof that she'd hurt too without him in her life, that breaking up with him had been a hard thing for her. Harder than he ever realized. 

"You didn't ruin my life, Allison. I'm happy right where I am," he tells her. "And I'm happy that you're happy."

And he means it too because he never stopped caring about her. It's why talking about her and their life together had been too hard. 

Allison cries harder against him, and he squeezes her, holding her tight until she's all cried out. 

"Maybe one day, I'll go to Paris, and you can show me around. Show me everything that makes you happy."

Allison nods, slowly pulling away with a weak smile. "I'll show all of you."

Isaac smiles at the thought. "Until then...just be happy, okay?"

Allison sniffs and wipes at her eyes. She takes a second to answer, doing her best to collect herself. "Okay...you too just...just know that it's all I want for you and that I'm sorry - which is probably the first thing I should've said..."

"Probably," he teases. 

Allison's smile grows stronger. "I'm sorry," she repeats louder, but before he can say anything she adds, "And I don't want you to just say you forgive me, I want you to mean it so don't tell me until we meet again."

"Oh, so you just assume I'm going to forgive you?" He questions in mock offense.

"I hope," she corrects.

Isaac pockets the lighter. "Well between us you were always the optimist but...I hope so too."

Allison offers him one last emotional smile before backing away. "Goodbye for now, Isaac."

"Goodbye, Allison." He says. He watches her leave, feeling lighter than before. Full of hope for his future. 

Lydia's in the kitchen when he gets back, eating her grilled cheese at the table with the baby swing right next to her. "Hey. Where'd you go?"

"Had to talk to Allison."

"How did it go?"

"Pretty well, actually," he answers honestly. He tells her what just happened and she seems happy for him by the end. 

"You know, I'm not saying you have to forgive her or anything, but I wouldn't _mind_ a trip to Paris," Lydia comments. 

Isaac chuckles. "I'll keep that in mind."

"You should take that to Scott," She says, nodding to the other plates. "And then you should take my place."

"I thought you wanted to cuddle up with him?"

"Oh, I _always_ want to do that, but I'm physically incapable of getting any more sleep so I figured I'd do some cleaning and look after Athena while you two rest."

Isaac hesitates. This was all so new and though he wants to go, it felt like crossing a line of some sort to spend the day curled around Scott. 

"Isaac, it's _okay_ , I promise you." Lydia says. "Besides, you look like you haven't slept and it would make me feel a lot better about abandoning my cuddle monster of a husband."

Isaac relaxes at that. "Well if you put it that way…" 

He grabs two bottles of water from the fridge, stuffing them between his arm and torso before picking up the plates. He's barely taken a step when Lydia clears her throat. 

He looks at her curiously.

"Forgetting something?" 

Isaac tilts his head, trying to wrack his brain. 

Lydia taps her cheek with her finger and he connects the dots. He shuffles over to kiss her cheek, and she surprises him with a quick peck on the lips when he pulls away.

He grins and she tells him to enjoy his nap with a pleased smile of her own. He could definitely get used to that. 

The door is open slightly and Isaac pushes it with his foot. He heads to the empty side of the bed, setting the plates and water on the nightstand before getting onto the bed. 

He gently shakes Scott awake, heart swelling at the adorably confused expression Scott gives him before he smiles. 

"Hey," Scott greets. "What time is it?" 

"Eleven thirtyish." Isaac says. "I made lunch if you're hungry."

Scott wipes at his eyes and sits up. "What'd you make?"

"Grilled cheese."

Scott hums and drops his hands from his eyes. "Yes please."

Isaac hands him his plate and water before taking his own. 

Scott eats happily, his hand finding Isaac's and keeping it. Isaac holds on tight as they eat, telling him all about his conversation with Allison. 

"Do you forgive her?" Scott asks.

Isaac considers it. He's been so hurt and angry for so long, but hearing Allison's side had quelled so much of it despite the new questions it raised in him such as _why couldn't she have told me sooner? why couldn't we have worked through her grief together?_

But he'd never have gotten here, to this place where he has Scott and Lydia in his corner, where he has a baby he loves as his own daughter. 

"I think...that I'm on my way."

Scott squeezes his hand, and Isaac squeezes back. 

After, Scott uses the restroom then crawls back into bed, laying on his side and holding the blanket up for Isaac to join him. 

Isaac gets under the blanket and allows Scott to pull him to his chest. Scott's eyes flick to his mouth and he leans in, kissing him sweetly. 

Scott sighs happily after he pulls away. "Want to be the little spoon?"

Isaac blinks in surprise. Since he was so tall, he was usually made to be the big spoon. He nods a bit shyly and Scott kisses him again before guiding him onto his side. 

Scott scoots up a little, spooning Isaac from behind with relative ease - his hand resting on Isaac's chest, his legs tangling with Isaac's comfortably. "Goodnight," he murmurs sleepily.

"Goodnight," Isaac parrots, putting his hand over Scott's. He can't help the way he strokes Scott's skin, from his fingers to the back of his hand to his arm. He was allowed this touch now, allowed to fall asleep next to the man he loved without hurting the woman he loved. Scott falls asleep fairly quickly, only the softest noises escaping him. 

Isaac eventually falls asleep too - the thought of being loved a little less foreign to him than it had been only twenty-four hours ago. 

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you thought of this!
> 
> [find me on other places](https://linktr.ee/KnownAsEmrys)


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